I recently blogged on how Christian Voice was trying to distance itself from the BNP who were apparently supporting their planned demonstration of rightuousness against Jerry Springer, the Opera. in that post, I drew a parallele between this and some Texan religious group fighting back the advances of the Klu Klux Klan on the subject of gay marriage.
It seems that the parallele with the United States is becoming increasingly relevant where racism is not a valid political standpoint while the religious right is seemingly ever more powerful and vocal.
The BNP is now calling for its adherents to show their opposition to LGBT History Month (due to take place in throughout February) Which they call an “indoctrination of our children” and an "unwholesome 'alternative life-style' propaganda”. At the same time, they advocate a "return to the teaching of traditional and time proven Christian standards of morality in our schools”.
Although they did already attack the Month last year, it doesn't seem to me that the BNP has ever been very loudspoken against homosexuality, perferring to exert their energy on the subjects of race and immigration. In the same respect, their message as never been very strongly coloured with religious arguments.
It is therefore interesting to notice this refocusing of the BNP's discourse on homosexuality while they are clearly trying to operate a rapprochement with fundamentalist religious groups.
The recent example of Northern Ireland teaches us that when the main bone of contension between two groups disappears or at the very least looses its edge, the negative energies of hate find themselves redirected against one of the last, if not the last, minority it is still remotely acceptable to reject, hate and attack. Since some sort of resolution is in sight for the inter-community feud, the number of homophobic attacks have risen considerably in the province.
Could it be that, having observed the successes of the American religious right, the BNP has decided that the evangelical tidal wave is soon to hit those shores and is positioning itself to catch it and ride it when it comes? Racism, on which the BNP has been trading for years is not longer the sexy magnet that it used to be. The whole political class has now learned not to pander to those lower feelings (The Conservatives learned it the hard way during the last general election by focusing their campaign mistakenly on immigration).
The point that all these people seem to be missing however, is that hatered is not a Christian value. If they actually took the time to go and read the New Testament (the only really Christian part of the bible, they would that that Jesus teaches the love on one's neighbour.
It seems that the parallele with the United States is becoming increasingly relevant where racism is not a valid political standpoint while the religious right is seemingly ever more powerful and vocal.
The BNP is now calling for its adherents to show their opposition to LGBT History Month (due to take place in throughout February) Which they call an “indoctrination of our children” and an "unwholesome 'alternative life-style' propaganda”. At the same time, they advocate a "return to the teaching of traditional and time proven Christian standards of morality in our schools”.
Although they did already attack the Month last year, it doesn't seem to me that the BNP has ever been very loudspoken against homosexuality, perferring to exert their energy on the subjects of race and immigration. In the same respect, their message as never been very strongly coloured with religious arguments.
It is therefore interesting to notice this refocusing of the BNP's discourse on homosexuality while they are clearly trying to operate a rapprochement with fundamentalist religious groups.
The recent example of Northern Ireland teaches us that when the main bone of contension between two groups disappears or at the very least looses its edge, the negative energies of hate find themselves redirected against one of the last, if not the last, minority it is still remotely acceptable to reject, hate and attack. Since some sort of resolution is in sight for the inter-community feud, the number of homophobic attacks have risen considerably in the province.
Could it be that, having observed the successes of the American religious right, the BNP has decided that the evangelical tidal wave is soon to hit those shores and is positioning itself to catch it and ride it when it comes? Racism, on which the BNP has been trading for years is not longer the sexy magnet that it used to be. The whole political class has now learned not to pander to those lower feelings (The Conservatives learned it the hard way during the last general election by focusing their campaign mistakenly on immigration).
The point that all these people seem to be missing however, is that hatered is not a Christian value. If they actually took the time to go and read the New Testament (the only really Christian part of the bible, they would that that Jesus teaches the love on one's neighbour.
Tags: Christian Voice, Jerry Springer, homophobia, racism, Christianity, BNP.
Comments
Post a Comment
Please leave your comment here. Note that comments are moderated and only those in French or in English will be published. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and to leave a thought.